[Sundaycommunity] Fwd: COVID-19: A Message from St Michael's Family Health Team

Mon Mar 8 06:53:58 PST 2021

This is the latest update on vaccines from my Family Health Clinic.
Catherine

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: St Michael's Family Health Team <smhafhtquality at smh.ca>
Date: Mon, Mar 8, 2021 at 8:45 AM
Subject: COVID-19: A Message from St Michael's Family Health Team
To: catherine.walther at gmail.com <catherine.walther at gmail.com>

*FOLLOW-UP: ADDITIONAL VACCINE INFORMATION*

*March 8, 2021*

Dear Patients,

We know there are still many unanswered questions about the vaccines and
the roll out plans. We encourage you to watch our Town Hall from Wed Feb 24
th
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for vaccine related information. This does not include the AstraZeneca
COVID-19 vaccine as it was approved after this session.

We wanted to take the time to answer a few questions that came up regularly
or could not be addressed at the town hall:

*Where will I get my vaccine? Will it be through my family doctor?*

At present, it is likely all vaccines will be given either through large
mass vaccine clinics or mobile outreach clinics for high-risk groups.
Currently, vaccines are not being given in our family practice clinics. We
know this could change and we will let you know if/when it does.

The current plans are to provide information about how patients can book an
appointment at a vaccine clinic close to home, or at the St Michael’s
Hospital vaccine clinic. The exact process for how to book an appointment
may vary from location to location. We anticipate more information about a
Toronto Region booking platform will be available early next week. Once we
have these details, we will share with you. If you do not live in Toronto,
please check your local public health unit’s website for more information.

We understand you may be nervous going to a hospital to get your vaccine.
We want to reassure you that vaccine clinics in the hospital are removed
from patient care areas. Increased public health and safety measures have
been included when designing these clinics. You can feel safe and
comfortable getting your vaccine at any identified vaccine clinic,
including a hospital vaccine clinic.

*What if I need help booking an appointment?*

We encourage people who can complete an online booking to do so, once
information is available. If you need assistance in booking, please
consider reaching out to a trusted family member or friend to assist you.
We know some people may need additional support in booking an appointment.
We are currently working with our teams to help identify patients who may
need more support with appointment bookings.

*I’m not sure if the vaccine is safe for me, what should I do?*

The vaccine is safe for most people over the age of 16 (Pfizer) and 18
(Moderna and AstraZeneca). Reasons you may not be eligible to receive the
vaccines are if you had an extreme allergic reaction to the first dose, or
a known allergy to any of the vaccine components including Polyethlene
Gycol or Polysorbate.

You may wish to schedule a virtual visit to speak to your Doctor or Nurse
Practitioner if you fall into one of the following groups to discuss more
about your unique situation and the risks and benefits for you:

   - Are pregnant, trying to conceive, or breastfeeding
   - Have an autoimmune disorder or weakened immune system due to illness
   or treatment, including active cancer treatment
   - Have a bleeding disorder

You are welcome to call and book a virtual visit to discuss any specific
concerns.

*Should I get the vaccine if I already had COVID-19?*

The current recommendation is to still get vaccinated even if you have had
COVID-19. Studies are ongoing to understand how long natural immunity will
last for. You will not be able to get your COVID-19 vaccine if you have an
active COVID-19 infection. However, once you recover, you can receive the
vaccine.

*I heard AstraZeneca was approved. How will this change things?*

This is exciting news, and this approval will hopefully increase vaccine
availability! Roll out and priority groups for Astra Zeneca are still being
worked on. The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine uses a different technology
than Pfizer and Moderna, as it is a viral vector-based vaccine. The vaccine
uses a harmless virus as a delivery system to expose the body to the
SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

The spike protein will not give you COVID19; instead, it will trigger your
immune system to develop antibodies and build an immune response. This will
help your body fight off infection if you are ever exposed again, resulting
in you not getting sick or only having very mild symptoms if you do get
sick with COVID19. This vaccine is a 2-dose vaccine, meaning you will still
need to get 2 injections into the top part of your arm 4-12 weeks apart.

As more information becomes available about this vaccine, we will continue
to provide updates. Health Canada
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has some information about possible side effects, ingredients and safety
which you are encouraged to review.

As of this morning, Friday March 5, 2021 Health Canada approved Johnson &
Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine for use in Canada. This is more exciting news
that will increase vaccine availability. We will share more about this
vaccine in our future communications.

*Will I be able to pick which vaccine I get?*

What vaccine you get will likely depend on where you get vaccinated. At
this time, you are likely to receive either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
Once we know more about the AstraZeneca vaccines and who it will be
available for and where, we can share more. We encourage people to not
delay vaccination based on vaccine product preference. All vaccines
available are effective at preventing serious illness if you get COVID-19.

*Can I travel after I get vaccinated?*

We don’t know what will happen with travel and the rules that will follow
vaccination. We encourage everyone to keep their vaccine receipts/records
in a safe and accessible place.

*Can I stop wearing my mask and visit my family once I am vaccinated?*

Please continue to follow all the public health guidelines and measures in
place. Until vaccines become more widely distributed, we will have to
follow current public health measures. We can work together to help keep
one another safe until the vaccine is widely distributed.

*Here are some websites with trusted information to learn more:*

Provincial Vaccine Roll Out:
https://covid-19.ontario.ca/covid-19-vaccines-ontario
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Toronto Public Health:
https://www.toronto.ca/home/covid-19/covid-19-protect-yourself-others/covid-19-vaccines/
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Centre for Effective Practice:
https://tools.cep.health/tool/covid-19-vaccines/#patient-resources
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Multi-language information sheets:
https://www.womenscollegehospital.ca/patients-and-caregivers/covid-19-vaccine-multi-language-information-sheets?utm_source=link.cep.health&utm_medium=urlshortener&utm_campaign=covid-vaccine
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*May you walk in joy as love calls us on.*
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